Egyptian actress charged with obscenity for sheer dress

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian actress is facing trial next month and was charged with public obscenity after she attended the closing ceremony of a film festival in Cairo wearing a see-through embroidered gauze dress that revealed the entirety of her legs.

Image: Screengrab via Instagram/@raniayoussef_

Rania Youssef’s trial, which is scheduled to begin Jan. 12, follows a complaint to the chief prosecutor by a group of lawyers against the actress.

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Youssef is being charged with public obscenity for a gown which showed the entirety of her legs. Image: Screengrab via Instagram/@raniayoussef_

Egypt is a mostly conservative country with a Muslim majority. The Arab country of 100 million people has retained vestiges of secularism despite decades of growing religious conservatism, but Youssef’s case serves as a reminder that Islamic fundamentalism still pervades society five years after an Islamist president was ousted by the military.

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